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Saoirsidh
Centuries ago, albino children suddenly began to appear among the Sidh servants of the Danaan race. These children were forbidden to mate for fear of a major change in the Danaan's standard of living, and eventually cast out altogether. Embittered, the albinos fled beneath the surface of the world. Over their long exile, these albinos bread true, and no darker-skinned children have been born in millennia. Being subterranean, these Bahnsidh, or "lost Sidh," did well to survive the onslaught of the Second Incursion of Kaos, though the shattering of the Isles did destroy a number of their cities. While a significant portion of their population remained beneath the Faerie Isles, greater numbers traveled through the Underdark to settle beneath the World's End Mountains of Ceilar, though far from the cities and tunnels of the Ædar. For centuries, they were generally unheard above the surface, save when their leader, the Shadowspeaker, and her entourage would travel to the surface to take part in the Sidh Speakers' Council. Her attendance, even then, was rare as she was often overlooked by the other, more prominent Sidh subraces. Before the rise of Az, the Bahnsidh had nearly fallen entirely into his worship through the manipulation of his Lwnasidh agent, Melaryss man Ullaryen. The intervention of adventurers from the surface, however, revealed the true nature of the fallen archangel before his worship had progressed beyond recovery. As a result, they turned against the false god and, during the Third Incursion of Kaos, emerged from their subterranean domain at a critical time in the war and helped to turn the tides against the forces of darkness. As a reward for their dedication and sacrifice, Aeana, the young eidolon of freedom and curiosity, rewarded them by removing their high sensitivity to bright light and restoring them to life on the surface. The goddess renamed them the Saoirsidh, meaning "elves that have been freed," but which can also be translated as "the people of starlight," which has earned them the nickname "starlight elves." Because of her gift, the Saoirsidh consider the goddess Aeana their racial patron despite her Grynsidh appearance. The Saoirsidh have pale skin with a pearlescent, blue quality that seems to glow in the light of the sun. Their eyes, once pink, are still pale but tend towards blue tones. Their hair ranges from white to pale blue or light pink. They often still bear pink markings on their skin similar to those of the other Sidh races, albeit in less abundance. Now under the rule of their re-christened Starspeaker, the Saoirsidh have settled in and rebuilt several previous-ruined Danaan cities on the Ceilari mainland, including site in the forests along the western coast of the Troubled Lands, the eastern reaches of Seawn, and the southern expanse of Ancellyon. Game Information In addition to the traits common to all Sidh, the Saorsidh gain the following abilities: * Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score is increased by 1. * Darkvision. Your darkvision has a range of 60 feet. * Close-Quarters Fighting. Although they are no longer confined to a subterranean lifestyle, the Saoirsidh are still trained in the traditional weapons and fighting styles that they once used to fight in narrow spaces. You gain proficiency with the shortsword and hand crossbow. Because of your training in wrestling techniques, you add your proficiency bonus to Strength (Athletics) checks for the purposes of grappling, even if you do not have proficiency in Athletics. * Never Forget the Past. The Saoirsidh race has sworn to never forget its exile, its sacrifices, and its redemption. All of their children are taught to remember these things. You have proficiency in the History skill. * Magically Gifted. You know one cantrip from the Sorcerer or Bard spell lists. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this cantrip. Category:Races